Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter 3 have to settle down

I slip quickly behind the kitchen doors, and swiftly close them, finally feeling safer as I try to calm my raging heart. My hands shook, and my palms felt clammy.

I probably look like a mess right now.

I have always been deathly afraid of men for as long as I remember. They have caused nothing but harm in my life, how could I ever trust them? If all the men I've known in my life have stolen everything good from me, then wouldn't all of them be like that?

"How'd it go?" I hear Shontell's voice.

I turn my head to look at her, and she drops the wooden spoon in her hand.

"Are you okay?" She gasps, a worried look on her face.

"I'm fine." I answer too quickly. I clear my throat, noticing her unconvinced look on her face. "I'm fine." I state again, but this time more confidently.

She audibly sighs, as disbelief is written across her face. She knows she won't get the truth out of me, so she changes the subject.

"So, did you find any of your liking?" She asks, curiously.

"No...." I reply.

What if they are all the same?

"What if they are just like my dad?" I ask, quietly.

Shontell looks sad for a moment, before replying.

"They're not, and one day, you'll find one who will treat you like the Queen-"

"Yes I know, like the Queen I am." I say, rolling my eyes, doubtful.

"Very good, now let me hear you say it again." Shontell exclaims.

I take a deep breath and sigh.

"One day I will find a man who will treat me like the Queen I am." I say flatly.

Shontell smiles at me like she's some sort of proud momma and I can't help but laugh at the look on her face.

"Thank you for being here for me, Shontell." I say.

"Someones got to, and besides, that's what friends are for." She says.

I am thankful for her. Everyone should have at least one person they trust in their lives. Everyone needs at least one person to stand beside them in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Trust isn't an easy thing to give away, because some could take that trust and use it to stab you in the back. But once you find a true, genuine person to give your trust to, then they can use it to help you carry your struggles on the long road of Redemption.

* * *

Getting home, exhausted from the night's work and lack of sleep combined, I immediately go to my room, and instantly collapse onto the cold floor, and wrap myself in my comforting pink blanket. My eyes feel heavy as I slowly surrender myself to sleep, becoming encased in the silent bliss as fog overwhelms my senses. I start to drift of to sleep when the sound of a door slamming causes me to shoot up.

And there, standing there in the darkness like some beast of the night, lurks my father.

"D-dad...." I stutter out, wrapping the blanket tighter around my body in an attempt for some sort of protection.

"That's Boss to you." He seethes out.

I gulp audibly, my hands starting to tremble.

"Give me your paycheck." He says.

"B-but I-"

"No buts. You live in this house, you pay your stay." He says lowly.

This is my hard earned money!

I am angry, but do I want to face another beating? No.

So, I shove my hand in my pocket, digging out the little check I had received today. I reach my shaking hand out to him, and drop the little piece of paper in his large, waiting hand. He looks at the amount written on it, and frowns.

"This is all you have?" He asks, impatiently. I notice the anger lurking in his eyes, and I instantly cower back into the corner, nodding.

"Y-yes. It isn't a high paying job...." I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

And in a flash, he is towering above me, his hands wrapped around my neck as he drives me into the wall harshly.

"That is why I told you to get another job. And you didn't listen to me." He says angrily, spit flying in my face.

"I-I'm.."

"No! I don't want your worthless apologies!" He yells, wrapping his hands around my throat tighter. I breath harshly, trying to suck in as much air, but to no avail. He is slowly suffocating me, and I sink my nails into his hand in an attempt to loosen his grip.

"You will be moved out from this room and taken to another place soon, I need this room for storage, you hear?" He yells.

He's taking me somewhere else? Where?

He grabs my hair and flings my head into the wall hard, before backhanding me across the face. I crumple onto the floor, gasping for air and coughing.

"If you can't make money by yourself, then I know another way!" He yells, pulling out his phone and dialing a number.

"Chet, my man, want to come over and have some fun?" He says into the phone.

A moment of excited noises come from the other end of the phone, and I immediately start shaking violently on the floor.

"Great! That'll be two hundred dollars. See you soon." He says, hanging up the phone.

"Chet will be here shortly." He says angrily, before leaving my room, and locking the door so I don't escape. I just lie on the ground, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably, waiting for my fate. Blood seeps from my nose and mouth out onto the ground, adding to the collection of blood that had gathered up over the years.

And when I hear heavy footsteps approaching my room, I become uncontrollable. My body trembles with a fierceness as I wrap my arms around my knees with my back against the wall. I start to panic, my heart beat becoming erratic, my breaths coming out frantic. I try to control my sobs, so my cries are silent and tears fall down my face.

And sure enough, in walks the one man that I am most afraid of. His name is Chet. He is violent, very rough, and demanding. He is in his mid forty's, and a shiver runs down my spine.

"Hey sugar." He says.

A sob escapes my mouth as he comes closer. I can smell the cigarette smoke staining his jacket, and I can see the deep facial wrinkles he has earned from years of hard drugs and alcohol intake.

"No need to cry." He says, roughly cupping my face in his hands and jerking my face up to him. "You know I make it all better." He says. I start to panic as he fumbles with the buttons of my pants, causing me to cry harder.

"Stop your crying! It pisses me off. Whiny girls are annoying." He says angrily ripping my pants off of me and slamming me onto the ground.

"P-please-"

He slaps me across the face. "Quiet girl. I paid good money for you! The only sounds that should be coming out of your mouth should be my name. Got it?"

I struggle, kicking my legs and trying to pry him off of me. But it's no use. He slaps me across the face several times until my cheeks feel raw. "Stop this NOW." He angrily says.

I whimper as he digs his nails into my wrist and strips the rest of his clothes off. He rips the rest of my clothes off too, and lays his head down in the crook of my neck, roughly biting my skin. I silently cry as he continues to hold me down, knowing what comes next. He thrusts hard, and I scream out in pain. I cry out so loud, I'm sure the whole mansion heard me. He grunts as he repeats his actions, as tears spill from my eyes, dripping down my face and making a small puddle on the floor.

Pain spreads like a wildfire in my abdomen, and it seems no matter how many times I go through this, the pain only gets worse.

I focus on a crack on the ceiling that looks like a rabbit, letting my mind zone out as my torment seems to drag on. Finally, he gets up and pulls his clothes on as he looks down at my beaten, naked form.

"Slut." He says, disgusted as he spits on my body. My lip quivers as a tear slips down my cheek.

Then, he leaves.

And once he leaves, I break down. I reach for my blanket, and curl into a ball as I sob. My head pounds, my heart hurts, and blood seeps from between my legs.

I am broken.

Completely, and utterly broken.

Tears stain my blanket, and my body once again starts to shake. I start to hyperventilate, my breathing becoming labored. Exhaustion takes over my body, and I find my eyes becoming heavy, and they feel swollen with tears. And finally, I surrender into the realm of sleep, wishing, that I could just die.

* * *

Ace's POV.

After the restaurant incident, I make my way to my security room in my mansion, where Kaleb, my computer geek works. He does everything from hacking to tracking, and can find anyone you ask him to find.

"Kaleb." I say, getting his attention.

"Hey boss, what brings you up here?" He asks.

"I would like you to track someone for me." I say.

"Oh, someone you're after?" He asks, spinning around in his chair and immediately gets to work.

I shrug. "Something like that."

"Name? Where he works?" He asks.

"Her name is Dakota, and she works at a restaurant in the north part of town." I say.

"A girl, huh?" He says, his fingers dancing wildly on the keyboard.

"Don't question it." I reply.

"Last name?" He asks.

Last name? Why didn't I get her last name?

"No, unfortunately." I say.

"This will be a little trickier, but it's nothing I can't do." He says, as he pulls up files on the computer and does his thing. After a few minutes, he starts to search the name Dakota and the place where she lives.

"Okay, it looks like there's twelve women with the name Dakota that lives in this city, here are their pictures." He says, flipping through the pictures one by one.

Nope.

Nope.

Oh definitely no!

"Wait!" I exclaim as I spot the one I'm looking for. He clicks on the picture, enlarging it. It is a picture of her walking into the restaurant for work, and I study the picture, making sure that it is indeed her.

"This is the one." I say confidently.

"You sure?" Kaleb asks.

"Yes."

And with that, he open her file, and nothing, could prepare me for the news next.

Lives on the North side of the city, leads a simple life. Her mother was killed in a car crash when she was very young. Gang leader's daughter. She belongs to The Viper Gang, her father is the notorious leader.....

I curse under my breath. Of course it was too good to be true. That woman is the spawn of that Devil!

"Thanks Kaleb." I say, turning around and leaving his room. I storm off into my office, slamming my door shut and sit at my desk. I run a hand through my hair and sigh.

I've got other matters to attend to, because in a few days, my gang and I are going to raid some old storage house of its riches. I'm guessing it belongs to a another, smaller gang called the Silver Snakes, and we must prepare. We must get ready for this mission. So, I call up Jordan and Drew, to prepare for the task.

My mind stayed stuck on that girl, and no matter what, I couldn't shake her from me thoughts.

"I need a drink." I say, feeling my stress levels rise.

I walk down to my bar, where Jordan and Drew are talking amongst themselves and drinking beer. I come down her to relax and think, and Jordan and Drew do the same. I grab a beer from the fridge and pop the cap off.

"Hey Jordan and Drew." I say, taking a swig from the bottle.

"Hey Boss, how's it going?" Jordan asks.

"Did you get her number?" Drew chimes in.

I choke on my beer. "What?"

Drew just wiggles his eyebrows. "You know what I'm talking about."

I roll my eyes. "Shut up."

They both laugh a bit, and Jordan asks, "You know you're gonna have to settle down at some point. I mean, this gang needs some heirs."

"Of course, it takes a special kind of woman for this kind of life. A strong leader is what I need. I just haven't found the right one." I say as I gulp down some more beer.

But, lets face it, this gang is my family. I'm just not going to throw half of it away to some woman who doesn't take it seriously. I need to find the right one. And plus, relationships take responsibility, which I currently don't want to deal with right now.

"Any way, we are attacking the building in a few days, and I just want to get my men prepared." I say.

"I'm already accounting for the men and weapons that will be used, so I will give you a total number tomorrow." Jordan says.

I nod, thinking about the coming days.

Little did I know that responsibility would come so soon.